Sunday, August 28, 2011

Travelling Adventures & Hurrah! For Friends

Ray peer pressured into cutting a pig with a plate

Eating the most famous Hanoi pho on Bat Dan. Meat questionable and delicious

Fancy pants ice-cream at Fannys

Halong Bay

Cooking in Sapa


Sapa trekking

Ending Hanoi on a high at La Badiane. My head is on a weird angle because it's about the 10th photo Johnny took and I was wondering WHAT he was doing.

Giants in giant bonsai






It feels like a crazy couple of weeks and yet it's all gone way to fast.

It started with my trip to Malaysia. Woop! As I was landing I suddenly felt terribly nostalgic and "homesick" in a way. I realised it had been about 2 years since I was there (Johnny and I went just before I came home from HCMC), and it seemed like way too long. Funny because it is and it isn't, and the first time I ever went was when I was 17. All I know is that I love my family dearly over there and probably do because I don't have to see them all the time! That and it's undeniable that I'm very spoilt there.

So what did I do? What everyone does in Malaysia: eat and shop. I spent one full day at Mid Valley and was in actual physical pain by the end of it. I can't compete with Aunty Jennys shopping style of managing to find something in every single store we go into, I'm more of a give me 5 seconds to scan this shop type of person. We did have some very good fried oysters and fried oyster noodles at the end of it.

I met with Ray & friends which was exciting although with didn't get to dance OR get a photo together. A bit of fail on both accounts, after all WHO KNOWS, we could be 80 when we see each other again*. We did however get to sit outside Zouk and feel very old looking at "the kids" in awful outfits. Is that what the youth are wearing these days? If so, we're all going to hell.

I also met up with Constantine and Daniel who used to work in HCMC and who bought me Assam Laska. I LOVE Assam Laska, especially when it's free.

When I got back to Hanoi, it was very exciting because Laura was getting in on the same day. Amazingly we did a whole heap of things on the first arvo/ night she was here which mostly included eating. For the following couple of days we were adventuring off in Sapa and Halong Bay. When I say "adventuring" I really mean "being wussy and playing phone games". It was fabulous. It ended with a very amazing dinner at my favourite french restaurant and feeling swish at the Metropole. What more could you want (besides more time).

Once Laura left Jimmy and his brother Pete were here. They had less then a week and in Hanoi and also went to Halong Bay so their time was short lived. I did of course make them get up at 5:30am to go to the exercise park to see booty dancing. You can't not.

Since then we've been trying to get back into a "routine". This past week I've been sick, and after days of feeling crap food poisoning (the worst I've had since I've been here) Johnny made me go to the doctor who pronounced "YOU HAVE BACTERIA". He didn't elaborate. Did I mention I had to get a blood test? You can guess what happened when I got the needle.

In exciting news we're going to Thailand in two weeks to visit the Terricanis and Ben and Erin! Then Malaysia in October, and thinking of Sydney in November?

* Dramatisation: I fully expect to leech of Ray when he moves to New York

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Cause We're Awesome

It's been a tad quiet here cause I've been in Malaysia and Laura has been here making my life more exciting. More on that later.

In the meantime, check out these super cute aprons Laura bought us!

Note: no actual cooking is being done.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Monday, August 1, 2011

Window Washers, Packages & Torrential Rain

So sexy

Temple of Literature: an okay place

Craft street

The glamour of Vincom

All you can eat yum cha

The toilet at Canopee Bar (that's a tv IN the urinal)


Brownie cupcakes for Bastille Day featuring english words thanks to the french

Window washers

Not a photo of me on the bike, but a photo of my bike

This is where my bike lives

Johnny coming home after being caught in the rain

A bit of an update about some of the random things that have been going on as of late:

* We found out how our building gets washed. Surprisingly and NOT surprisingly it's by hand. Yes, the entire 25 story building gets washed by a guys with two buckets and a single rope. You can imagine how freaked out I was having a guy appear right next to our window. Funnily enough, AFTER the washing was completed, reception showed Johnny a notice advising when the window washing would take place and made him sign it to say he received it. They have since then had window washing again but this time no notice.

* We FINALLY got an oven. It's very exciting. I have not yet baked though, I need to go and buy cake pans.

* Thanks our lovely friends and family we've received packages. Containing chocolate no less. As much as I say don't bother sending anything, it is still very exciting =)

* Being here makes me realise in Sydney we don't get very extreme weather. This week there's apparently a typhoon going by (but not hitting Hanoi)and as a result we're going sheets of torrential rain coming down. It's quite fascinating really.

* We found a yum cha! A buffet no less. They even had suckling pig. I almost burst with excitement.

* Our friends got engaged in possibly the most dramatic and exciting way ever. Read about it here.

* I have a fringe again! Woop. I haven't yet cut it short so this is a bridging haircut that will hopefully encourage me to keep it long a bit longer.

* I'm going to Malaysia this Wednesday. Woooop!

That's all the "semi" interesting news I have. Do you have any better?